Power Rangers: Soul of Music
by JudaiRose
Summary: During modern day times, 6 teenagers must harness the power of music in their hearts and souls to save the world.
1. Chapter 1 New Soul, Part 1

**Since this is based around music, there will be a lot of music from other artists/bands in this story. As that I don't own them (like I don't own the Power Rangers name or brand), I will be denoting the song titles, artists, and places where these songs appear at the bottom of each chapter, (that includes songs that I write) for copyright purposes. Just a warning... enjoy the story!**

Power Rangers: Soul of Music

The Story:

The year is 2008, and the Earth is at peace… or at least, the best amount of peace that Earth can offer at this time. Though the same wars and crime go on, there are no evil monsters vying for world conquest against a group of super powered teens in tights. To put it simply, Power Rangers do not exist outside of the show that most people consider a kid's show. However, music does exist in this world. It is in us and all around us. For some, it is a lifestyle, and for others, it is something that makes us happy. Some could even say it has mystical properties.

The truth is, when the soul of music is mixed with a good-hearted soul it can become mystical, being used to give balance to the world, and can be also used to protect others, and the owners of those souls. However, when mixed with the soul of a dark-hearted soul, the soul of music can become destructive and all-powerful, being used to kill and ravage the Earth. That is the goal for a record production president, simply named Mr. Cypher. He wishes for music to become soulless in his pursuit of wide-spread anarchy and destruction. In the pursuit of this goal, he slowly drains quality out of music using a combination of money and dark arts.

On the other hand, a woman named Gina Themis has searched all over the world for the many different types of music that Earth has to offer. However, she hasn't found the proper good-hearted souls that are needed to bring balance to Earth. She has been aware of Cypher's plans for the past 5 years and wishes to find the right people before Cypher actually succeeds in taking music away from the world and bringing chaos. She's come back to the United States in one last attempt to find the good-hearted souls needed in order to combat Cypher. She has even developed the necessary technology needed in order to bring these souls and their love of music to full potential. Little does she know that everything will culminate in her hometown of Blackthorne, Ohio.

Enter the Soul of Music…

Blackthorne City, Ohio, 2008

It was a beautiful summer day in the small city of Blackthorne, which was pretty much normal for the area. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the smell of street-side food vendors threw slight smells of hot dogs and assorted grilled foods in the air. More importantly, however, was the sound of a punk rock band performing in the biggest local music store, the Black Spin. Their song was instrumental for this set, but it still had rocking beats and furious guitar riffs that made the small crowd that gathered wild.

The lead guitarist seemed to rock out the hardest, having somewhat shaggy brown hair and a large smirk on his face. For a 17-year-old, he acted a little like a hyper kid, but this wasn't a bad thing. His wild guitar playing and dancing only made the crowd cheer loudly, especially the girls, who cheered his name, "Matt! Matt! Matt!" Smirking even larger, Matt turned so his back was towards the audience, and looked back, giving them a nod and a smile. The girls cheered even louder, nearly drowning out the music.

Matt looked towards his brother, Lee, who rolled his eyes as he slammed on the drums, playing through the final parts of the song. Flicking his blonde hair out of his 19-year-old face, Lee stood up, putting both drumsticks in his hand. Holding them out, he dropped them on the floor without a care, signifying the end of the song. The crowd gave a long round of applause and cheers as Matt leaned towards the mic and said, "Thank you, thank you. You've been great."

The crowd slowly dispersed, except for a select group of girls, who waited for Matt to put his guitar on the stand and walk off the stage. "Oh, Matt, you played so great!" most of them said, some even saying "Can I have your autograph?" Matt smiled and said, "Thanks, and, um, I'm not really good at the autograph thing. Sorry." Some of the girls looked a bit sad, but they still crowded around Matt.

Looking at his younger brother, who was obviously getting overwhelmed, Lee said, "Ladies, ladies. Matt just finished playing for you and he needs his rest. Why don't you ask him later?" The girls stared at Lee for a second before walking off, looking somewhat scared at Lee's imposing attitude.

"Nice save, Lee," Matt said, giving a little sigh. Even though he was good at flirting on stage, Matt was totally lost offstage. "No problem, little bro," Lee said, but he noticed his brother wasn't listening. He was looking at a register girl with long, dirty blonde hair and rosy cheeks. Her expression was bored and uncaring, as if she was trying to block something out. "Go get her, Matt," Lee said with a laugh, but Matt wasn't laughing. He looked like he was going to be sick, but he managed to slowly walk over to her.

"Why so serious?" Matt said, instantly thinking this statement to be stupid. The girl looked over with a blank look, and then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. How can I help you?" Matt simply scratched his head, dumbfounded that she wasn't paying any attention, but he quickly regained his composure.

"So, did you see my show?" Matt said.

"Hard not to when a bunch of people are shouting your name, Matt," the girl replied.

"So you know my name, but I didn't catch yours," Matt said quickly.

"I'd love to tell you, but ya know what? You just aren't cool enough," the girl said with a sly smile.

"Oh really? Maybe I can prove how cool I am," Matt said with a grin. The girl leaned forward on the counter and said, "Hmmm, is that you asking me out on a date, without even knowing my name?"

"Maybe," Matt said, with the grin still wide on his face. The girl looked him over, and Matt could see her beautiful light brown eyes go up and down his slender, yet muscular frame. "Heh, I don't date guys who don't know my name," the girl said, looking towards the doorway. "Can I at least know who you are waiting for?" Matt asked, his grin replaced by curiosity.

The girl looked like she took pity on Matt, so she said, "My friends and my boss, Steven." Matt nodded and walked back to his brother, but not before saying, "Nice to meet you, beautiful." The girl looked a bit angry, but then she blushed a bit, before looking towards the doorway again.

Meanwhile, on the very top floor of Devilfish Records, a man by the name of Thanatos Cypher straightened his midnight-blue tie, which went well with his black suit and white dress shirt that seemed almost _too_ perfect. His desk was the same way, with everything being perfectly straight and put in its place. His black hair was gelled off to the right, and his stern face had handsome features which hid his real agenda.

For years, Cypher had been waiting for this moment… the moment where he would finally use the music the world held so dear against everyone and everything. It was _his _right to rule this dammed planet and all its inhabitants. It was _his _destiny… after all; he was named after the personification of Death itself… why not live up to that legacy and have all that power to himself?

Leaning forward on his desk, Cypher thought about his current status. He had signed some of the biggest acts in the history of this world. Hell, he even turned one or two of them into the next targets for the paparazzi and the media to flock over as their lives went into a down spiral of popularity, drugs, alcohol, and bad relationships. Each time, Cypher only smiled as Devilfish Records became hotter than Hell itself each time one of these singers turned out like this. Acts signed on like crazy, trying to cash in on that popularity… it was like they were trying to make deals with the devil.

However, nothing compared to what Cypher had learned from those unholy scriptures long ago. He learned that music could be twisted and corrupted for personal gain. He learned that people could be turned into mindless, faceless slaves when music was drained out of their souls and used as bait for them to anything he wanted. He learned that music could be used to destroy everything.

"Now is the time," Cypher muttered to himself, his deep, masculine voice reaching no ears but his own. However, the vibrations from his cell phone forced him to sit up straight, pick it out of his pocket, and say, "Cypher, here."

"I've found them, or at least a few of them. Little, rotten brats they are," a female's voice said. It seemed very smooth and pretty at first, but it had a cold and venomous tone to it.

"Hmmm, how many are there now?" Cypher asked, his face slowly forming a smile. If there wasn't that many, he could easily take them. "There are three as of now. They seem pretty obliv- wait! Three more just came in!" the female said.

Cypher's expression was surprised at first, but it coolly slid into uncaring. "We will take care of them, also. You have enough Smilies, right?"

"Yes, I believe so. I will contact you when I have the brats."

"Good, good. Make sure they aren't harmed… too much," Cypher said before hanging up. He was finding it hard to believe that there were now six teenagers that could possibly give him trouble with his great plan. "Nothing will stop my destiny," he said cruelly, putting his silver phone back in his pocket.

The cashier girl stared at the doorway, having the same uncaring look about her. She was completely and utterly bored, until a group of three came in. One of them was wearing a bright green shirt that said "I Love Techno" on it, and a pink skirt, with black shorts under it. Her long black hair was tied up in a ponytail, which came over her shoulder until she brushed it back with her hand. She was light-skinned, but something with her appearance suggested she had some kind of Latin influence in her.

The other two obviously were of Asian decent and they were joking around with each other. One of them was a young man, with long black hair. Some of it was dyed a strawberry blonde, however, and thrown to the side of his face. He was wearing mostly black, except for a purple hoodie that was open because of the heat. The other was a girl who, oddly enough, had reddish-blonde hair. She was wearing completely pink, except for her hair berets, which were a bright red. A smile was wide on her face.

"Nice to see you, Erika," the Latina said with a smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to go get Eniji and Leigh." She pointed to the two behind her, who waved with bright smiles. "Hey!" they both said brightly.

"Well, damn Natalie. I've been waiting here and getting hit on by guitar boy over there, while you're taking your sweet time," Erika said, pointing towards Matt, who was now cleaning up the stage with Lee. Both of them were talking in whispers, but you could tell that their conversation was frantic.

"Why such the change in attitude? He's cute, most likely your type, and you know that you are so quiet and weird around boys," Natalie said, looking over at the two brothers. She kept her eyes on Lee for a minute, before being snapped back to reality by Leigh.

"Looks like you got a sweetheart too, Natalie," Leigh said brightly. "Don't you stare a hole in 'im. That's just rude," Eniji added, ducking under a pretend hit from Natalie. All of them laughed, which was hushed as a balding man came in. He looked a bit annoyed despite the beautiful day outside. "What's up, Steve?" Erika said to him, warranting a look.

"Bah! These scene kids wanting a bunch of emo pop music. As if there was such a thing," Steve said. He was well-known for chasing out kids who seemed to want the most popular music and sneered while they bought it. Walking behind the register, Steve said, "I guess you can take off. Go on, have some fun!"

"Thanks Steve," Erika said, walking over to the time cards and clocking out. All of them looked ecstatic and didn't notice when a lady with a kind face came in. Her hair was a little less than shoulder length, but its reddish color made her face stand out more. As for clothes, she was wearing hip-hugger jeans and a nice white blouse. It had been 5 years since she had been in Blackthorne, Ohio. 5… long… years. Then again, traveling around the world would make anybody loose track of time.

The lady quietly walked over to Steve and said, "Do you have _Carmina Burana_ by any chance?" Steve looked up, smiled brightly, and said, "Gina! What brings you back to Blackthorne?"

Gina reached up and gave Steve a hug before saying, "I'm coming back to my roots, I guess. I'm actually starting a small record company here." Steve nodded and said, "You know, it might be hard to do so with Devilfish Records around here. They make me sick with their lack of actual music."

"We'll just have to put the music back in Blackthorne," Gina said smiling. However, that smile quickly faded when she saw who came in next.

This woman had silky black hair, which was accented by deep crimson streaks and flowed freely in the wind. Her face was beautiful, but it had a sense of coldness to it, as if she was a doll. Her eyes were dark, and the whites around them seemed to be a bit off color. She was wearing a lacy Victorian-style dress, which was very odd, considering the heat in the room. On her wrist was a peculiar crimson object, but it was mostly hidden behind her back, so no one could really get a good look at it.

"Nice to see you, Gina," the woman said, walking in. Erika, Eniji, Natalie, and Leigh all suddenly felt very cold. Even Matt and Lee looked up with surprised looks.

"What the hell are you doing here, Eris?" Gina said, turning to the woman with fury in her kind features. Steve could only sink back and watch as the other woman said, "No, no, no. Not Eris, Gina. Amaranth is my name now. I'm here to take these little brats away from here." She pointed to Matt, then Lee, followed by Erika, Eniji, Natalie, and, finally, Leigh. They all looked frozen and rooted to the spot.

"Why waste your time on a group of teens, Eris?" Gina said fiercely, slowly moving in front of the group. They were now that only ones in the entire store. The rest of the people slowly sneaked out.

"I'm… not… ERIS!" Amaranth screeched, her face fired up with rage. "I am Amaranth and you know full well why I am going to take these teens. Can't you feel the musical energy radiating off of them? I know you can."

Gina clutched her fists, then noticed a group of about 5 people wearing smiley face masks and black hoodies crowd behind Amaranth. They kept their heads down, but they swayed back and forth, as if they were impatient. "Steve, call for help," Gina said quietly, slowly moving her hands in front of her. They seemed to glow with a white light, which became more and more intense. Amaranth simply smiled and said, "Using that in front of Steve? Getting a little hasty, eh? We'll just have to stop that. Smilies, attack!"

With Amaranth's command, the hooded cronies ran into the decently large record store and reached for the nearest teen, who happened to be Erika. Still frozen to the spot, Erika could only watch as the Smiley grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. However, that's as far as they got before a blur in red ran over and punched it in the face.

"No touching the girls," Matt said, looking at the Smiley he just punched. It seemed to reel back for a second, but it quickly looked back at Matt and ran towards him. Matt quickly backed out the way and watched the Smiley crash into a shelf of CDs and stop moving.

"Oy, if you are gonna fight; try not to destroy my store! And I've called the cops on you, and your crazy Gothic ass," Steve said, looking at Amaranth. She didn't pay any attention to him; instead, she stared at Gina, whose hands still glowed white. However, a Smiley didn't take Steve's yelling too well, and grabbed the store owner by his neck.

It was Gina's turn to take action. She grabbed the Smiley by the back of its hoodie and yanked it back, forcing it to let go of Steve, who collapsed on the floor. Gina then slammed the Smiley face first on the edge of the counter. The Smiley's mask shattered as it hit the ground, revealing nothing but a black, featureless face. Gina quickly turned to the teens and said, "Quickly, get out of here!"

However, more Smilies blocked the doorway of the store, making Amaranth smile in delight. She was thinking that it was going to only be a matter of minutes and she could fulfill Cypher's dream.

"We aren't leaving you here to face all these things," Erika said, waving her hand as to taunt the Smilies.

"Spread out a bit! We can hold these things off better that way," Matt said, moving several feet away from Erika and her friends. Though Erika and her friends fanned out, Lee ran over by his younger brother, going into what looked like a fighting stance. "You ain't gonna do this without me. I have to protect you, after all," Lee said with a smirk. Matt nodded, kicking away the Smiley that decided to pick on him. Lee did the same, only adding an uppercut to the Smiley when it tried to come back. It got lifted several inches into the air and came down again, unmoving.

Leigh and Eniji were also back to back fighting off the Smilies, giving them a few quick jabs, then hard kicks that sent the Smilies back. The remaining three, Natalie, Erika, and Gina, had fanned out quite well. Natalie's fighting style was the most peculiar, since it looked a little like a dance. She continuously moved around, dodging the Smilies' attacks, and then countering with kicks of her own.

Erika's style was quite normal, but she seemed to flow more than the rest, like water. She would go forward and punch a Smiley, then flow back and kick another. It never seemed to be rigid or rough around the edges, but ever flowing.

Gina, on the other hand, didn't use any kicks or fancy moves. She only used her glowing hands, which she shoved into the Smilies. They seemed to go down a lot faster than with the teens, possibly because her hands were still glowing with that same white light. They also made a hissing, sizzling noise every time they hit the Smilies head on, as if they were burning.

Looking around at the others, Gina felt that there was a sense of hopelessness in the air. It felt as if they would never win… they would never get out of this store unscathed… The teens' faces reflected this despite the fierce determination in their faces. Their eyes were the ones betraying their true feelings. Gina looked down sadly for a second, as if she was going to regret what she was going to do… what she was going to take them into.

However, she quickly looked up and thrust her hands forward, causing a bright flash of light to surround the area. This light remained for a minute or two, and while it remained, a soft music played, almost like a choir of angels. As it died down, the light did also, but what was left made Amaranth screech, "DAMNNIT!"

The teens and Gina were gone, leaving a crowd of Smilies littered on the floor, Amaranth looking venomous, and Steve looking in surprise. He turned to Amaranth and said, "Can you get the hell out of my store, now?"


	2. Chapter 2: New Soul, Part 2

Power Rangers: Soul of Music

The only sounds that Gina and the teens heard, or paid any attention to, were the beat of their hearts and the sharp slaps of their shoes on the concrete, as they ran as far as they could from the Black Spin. The heat and the lack of stamina was affecting the group heavily, but the knowledge that Amaranth was likely trying to find them pushed them beyond their limitations.

For nearly 10 minutes, the group ran with that increased boundary of endurance, until they heard Gina shout "Over here!" behind her shoulder. The teens looked around, only now realizing that they were in the suburbs of Blackthorne, or, more specifically, the richer neighborhoods, where the houses were huge, and the mortgages were just as large. Gina headed for perhaps the best looking one of them all, though it was a bit smaller than the rest. There was a sign next to gate that surrounded the house that said "Nature's Law Records and Themis Residence".

"C'mon in," Gina said, breathing heavily and opening the gate. The teens looked at each other nervously, but they eventually walked past the gate, led by Matt, who glanced at Gina on his way in. She still had a look in her eyes that hinted at feelings of regret. Matt opened his mouth to say something, but Lee lightly pushed him forward to continue. Gina quickly sped ahead of the teens and opened the door, letting them in.

Inside, the house fit its exterior well, having that same good look and somewhat small size. Many of walls had swirling and finely detailed paintings that somewhat reminded the group, especially Natalie and Erika, of the intricate designs of Greek art. It complemented the nice, white marble floor well. On the other hand, however, the furniture had the same Greek influence, but it had a harder, darker look to it; almost even foreboding and dark.

"Where did you get this stuff?" Natalie asked curiously, but Gina simply shook her head. "I might have time to tell you later, but what we need is upstairs, so please follow me," she said, pointing to a nice marble stairway. This time, Natalie led the walk up the stairs, but she went around quite carefully, taking in the smooth and beautiful artwork of the place. "Speed it up, Natalie," Erika said, who was getting quite annoyed with the changing pace of the day.

Natalie did speed up and when she got to the landing of the second floor, she saw the most elaborate recording studio that she'd ever seen. Actually, it was the first one she had ever seen, but that didn't matter. The sheer amount of buttons, levers, effects, tapes, records, and things astounded her. Matt was next to fawn over the equipment, followed by Erika, then Lee, and finally followed by Leigh and Eniji. Gina watched them look around for a few minutes before saying, "Well, this is the place where I wanted to talk to you. It should be a comfortable place for you all. Perfect, because what I am going to tell you isn't going to be easy."

All of the teens looked up from their wonder-induced joy, all of them having looks of a sort of dark curiosity and wonder. "What do you mean 'this isn't going to be easy'?" Lee asked a bit quietly, but forcefully. "I mean, I think we've had enough bad news for right now. We've been attacked by weirdoes with hoods and smiley face masks, plus, we've had to listen to a gothic woman who screeches like a damn banshee and apparently feels something from us. We thank you for saving our asses back there, but I think we've had enough. Unless you tell us what the hell is going on, I don't think we really want to know and we should go."

Gina stared at him, but she didn't seem to react to Lee's rude outburst all that much. Instead, she said, "Well, to tell you what is going on, I have to go back a few years ago, so bear with me."

"When I was little," she continued, "My father would tell me about ancient times, more specifically, Ancient Greek times. He would tell me that the Ancient Greeks believed in a lot of things, such as many different Gods, superstitions, and things like that. However, he would tell me the most important thing they believed in was music.

"He would tell me that the Ancient Greeks believed that magic was the one real magical thing that was granted to the people by their Gods, despite the selfishness of the Gods when it came to magic and magical objects. However, for this music to actually have any magical properties, the people must feel the music in their hearts and their souls.

"My father said that if a person had a good heart and a good soul, this person could harness the beauty in music, and use it to bring harmony to the world and protect others from evil. However, if music was harnessed in a dark, heartless soul, it would cause destruction and anarchy. Apparently, the Gods had given the people a figurative double-edged sword.

"When the Gods found out about this evil, they stripped all people of the music, which made the people sad and angry. It actually made all the people rise up in anarchy and cause chaos. Darkness ruled the land for a few days and all seemed lost."

"What happened next?" Leigh asked, biting her fingers. She quickly opened her fluffy pink purse that she managed to keep with her, and took out a fuzzy pink flask. She took a quick drink, and then looked at Gina again, with curious, spacey eyes.

Gina looked at Leigh with a smile and said, "The Gods realized the error of taking the music away from the humans, and gave it back. However, they made it very hard for the people to harness the magic in their souls. The people had to have a great understanding of music and had to learn how to have that perfect harmony between soul and music. However, a lot of the people were just happy to have their music back and didn't care about this limitation. All was well."

"I'm sorry if I'm sounding rude, but where does this all fit into us getting attacked by Gothie and her smiley goons?" Matt asked.

"Well, almost everything. You see, my father disappeared when I was around 9 or 10. He was a musician, and went on a tour in England. His band mates said that he left, saying something about 'these people don't deserve music' and never came back. No one could ever find him, not even the police, who looked for months for him. He just simply faded-," Gina said, but her voice broke off. Her arms wrapped around her body, but she continued. "Me and my mother grieved for a year or two, but she found another man. An Italian man who became my step-father soon after my mother met him. He had a daughter from his widow, also, and she became my step-sister. She always resented me… then when my mom had my half-sister… whew…

"Anyways, I thought my father's story was just an old musician's tale that he passed on to me. However, I found that this tale was true, or at least the harnessing the music part. When I was around 11 or 12, I was listening to the O, Fortuna part of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, which was my favorite song at the time, and I felt this tugging in my heart and from there, I felt a surge of some kind of power through my body. My hands were glowing a pale white color, but it was friendly to me. It felt… warm and familiar. At that time, my mom was carrying my half-sister, so I think that's what made it felt so good. It was something that I had. It was just mine, and mine alone.

"Of course, this power reminded me of my father's story, something that hadn't been told to me in ages, though it was kept in my heart. I had a curiosity about the origins of this story, and my heritage. So, I abandoned most of my after-school pursuits and became withdrawn from the world. I spent most of my time at libraries and places where I could satisfy my research. Over time, I found out that there was a similar legend in many different cultures, not just the Ancient Greek story.

"When I turned 18 is when there was a turning point yet again and when there came more revelations to the story. I found out from the bank that my father had left a will, entrusting me with a decently large amount of money, something that didn't go well with my mother. I used that money to fund my time in college, and, when I got out, I used it to fund a trip around the world in search of the original legends. I wasn't alone, however. I brought a man by the name of Thanatos Cypher and a woman by the name of Eris Rosen, or as she calls herself, Amaranth.

"Our trip lasted for two years, and we were going to just come back here to Blackthorne, but then we found something in Greece. We found a legend of a crystal that meant everything to the people of Ancient Greece. This crystal was supposedly able to give people who succeeded in synching their souls with music a great power. However, this crystal could easily be swayed for evil deeds. When the Gods took the music away from the people, this crystal shattered into twelve pieces, which the people then put away in a temple, as a last testament of what they had lost. This temple was forgotten when the people got their music back.

"The young, curious people we were, we all searched for this small temple, which turned out to be underground. A Catholic church was built over it, and it was by chance that we stumbled on the place. We eventually got carried away searching the church and found an underground passage in the basements. There we found the temple, and the twelve shards. I went forward and collected the shards, but Thanatos and Eris decided they alone wanted them, for greed.

"They both tried to overpower me, but I managed to fight them both off. In the struggle, they managed to take two of the shards. I took the rest, and then went into hiding for another three years. I came back to Blackthorne only because my mother died. Cancer got her. Then I went back into hiding for another five years, traveling more and finding out all I could about those legends. I've come back only months ago, but I've kept a low profile. I just bought this house, put the recording studio in it, and kept quiet… until now, of course. Thanatos, on the other hand, has lived quite extravagantly. You may know him as the owner of Devilfish Records… though, I know him as an evil man.

"I heard a rumor that a man and his acquaintance stole a book of scriptures that described music, souls, and darkness in detail. That's how Thanatos can summon those Smilies and that's why he wants you guys. He wants to corrupt the music that is inside you and waiting to come out. He wants to cause chaos like the ancient stories of long ago. However, I have something to combat him, his dark wishes, and that book."

Gina got up; having an air about him that suggested a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She moved to a small safe under the main soundboards of the studio and swiftly entered the combination, opening it and revealing a polished wooden box. She set it up on the soundboards and opened it, revealing 9 medium-sized crystal shards and what looked like a glass charm. "This may be a lot to ask out of all of you, having just met you, but I wanted the six of you to take some of these shards and harness that legendary power that was spoken of in the second legend. The legendary power that can only be harnessed in the form of a Power Ranger."

Lee and Eniji both snorted loudly, while Erika, Leigh, Natalie, and Matt looked at them. Lee looked up and said, "Power Rangers? I used to watch that show when I was little. I don't think what you are telling us is true. Hell, I wouldn't believe the glowing hands if I didn't see them earlier. And assuming that this is all true, you don't even know our names and you are asking us to combat some whacked out record exec, his girlfriend, and his horde of hoodie and mask wearing gang. I think you are going out on a bit of a stretch here." Eniji nodded in agreement, but Matt stared at his brother.

"Oh, why do you shut up and look around. I mean, those bloody Smilies were faceless. Under that mask was nothing but a head. No hair, no face, no anything. Just darkness. If anything, I think Miss Gina over here has just told us the most rational thing I've seen. And she didn't even pull out a knife and try to kill us like a complete psychopath," Matt said, his voice sounding tired, though commanding.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence about me not being a complete psycho. Oh, and my name is Gina Themis, but you can just call me Gina," Gina said, a bit sarcastically. "I would like to add that you don't have to take me up on this offer. You can simply leave and forget everything I've told you, but be aware that you are leaving me to fight Thanatos and his goons alone."

There was a slight movement as one of the teens reached for the shards, but it stopped in very slight hesitation. However, it darted forward in less than a second, grabbing the second shard from the left. It glowed a pale blue in her hand as the teen said, "My name is Erika Jo, but you can call me Erika."

Leigh was the second to reach her shard, which glowed a bright pink. "My name's Leigh!" she said brightly. Despite his earlier disbelief, Eniji was the next to grab his shard and grunted, "Name's Eniji." Leigh looked at him with a huge smile, but he didn't return her look, instead staring at his shard, which glowed purple, with a sad look.

Natalie reached out and grabbed her shard, which glowed a bright grayish color, and she said "Hi, my name's Natalie."

Lee was next, reluctantly grabbing his shard which glowed a very dark green. "Lee," he said, "and I apologize for my rudeness."

Gina nodded and watched as Matt grabbed his shard, which was the farthest on the left. It glowed a deep red as Matt said, "My name's Matt. Nice to meet you."

Gina looked at each of the teens in turn and said, "That glow will represent your colors when you are morphed. I will also tell you your designations."

Gina continued, turning to each teen as she spoke of them, "Lee, your soul embodies the sometimes unrecognized talent and the freedom of indie music and it is perfect as the Viridian Indie Ranger. Natalie, your soul represents the randomness and fast pace of techno and dance music which is great for the Silver Techno Ranger. Eniji, your soul is very heartfelt and has the conflicted feelings typical of soul music, which fits as the Purple Soul Ranger. Leigh, your bubbly and perky soul embodies the happy melodies of J-Pop and Pop music. Your soul is best as the Pink J-Pop Ranger. Erika Jo, your soul has a very loving nature to it, but is very headstrong and stubborn. Your soul is perfect for the Blue Country Ranger, and the designation of second-in-command. Matt, your soul embodies the impulsive and hard nature of Alternative Rock. As your soul is perfect for the Red Alternative Ranger, you shall take the role of active field leader of the Power Rangers."

"Awesome," Matt said, "but I think we should be heading home. Our families are probably worried sick about us."

"Not yet, I want you to look at what the shards in your hands have become. Go on, open your hands," Gina said, giving a slight nod. The teens opened their hands to see that their shards were no longer shards. They had turned into beautiful glass charms, each having a long necklace chain and each being unique to the person holding them. Matt's had turned into a mini-guitar, Lee's was a mini-drum, Erika's was a heart, Leigh's was a flask, and Eniji had a mini pair of headphones. Natalie's, however, had stayed the same, which was odd. It didn't even have the same glow or feeling as before.

All of the teens stared at their charms with wonder and excitement, except for Natalie, who opened he mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'mine is supposed to say the same.' However, Gina noticed Natalie's expression and the shard, which remained unchanged.

"Wha-?" Gina said, but Leigh looked up in surprise, which drew all attention to her. "Oooh, I'm missing Ninja Warrior. Darn, darn!" she said, looking around. A television in the corner caught her eye and she excitedly looked at it.

"Mind if I turn this on?" Leigh asked, but before Gina could nod, Leigh quickly grabbed the remote off a speaker and pressed the power button. A news report instantly came to life, which stopped even Leigh in her tracks.

"…_yes, it is total pandemonium in the middle of Blackthorne. There seems to be hooded, masked miscreants attacking the city, with powers, the likes of which, the people have never seen before. The police at the scene are attempting to control the situation, but they aren't having much lu- oh my God, they are opening fire!"_

At this point, the television showed the Smilies getting shot at by police, with little to no success whatsoever. The Smilies just flinched, then ran over to the Police, disarming and knocking each and every single one out. The picture in the television started to move rapidly as if the cameraman was running, but then it stopped and the screen looked like it went on its side before cutting to static. The camera had been dropped and apparently broken.

Gina quickly turned to the teens, her voice sounding rushed and hoarse, "You have to go down there and defeat them; every single one."

All the teens nodded, and got ready to leave, but Gina said, "Wait." They all turned towards her as she said, "To transform, you have to feel the music that reflects your heart and soul. You have to hear it, without it actually being played to you. When you feel that music and can hear it, say 'Feel the music, evoke the soul' take your charms and shatter them on the ground. They'll give you your powers. And don't worry; they will reform on your chests, along with the chain. If you need any help," Gina grabbed the charm that was in the box. It was shaped like a conductor's baton and glowed a bright white. "I will be able to talk to you through this. You'll hear me in your mind. Now go!"

The teens didn't need telling twice, so they all ran out of the studio and down the stairs, not looking back. That is, except for Natalie, who shot Gina a worried look, probably because her crystal hadn't turned into a charm. However, she quickly turned away and went down the stairs, going out of sight.

Cypher's phone vibrated once more in his suit pocket, bringing a smile to his face. He would finally have the last step in his conquest fall perfectly into place. As soon as Amaranth spoke, however, his smile faded as quickly as it had come.

"Did you get them?" he asked.

"No," Amaranth replied, her voice sounding both irritated and fearful. "Miss Gina Themis interfered and took them with her. But, if I am right, Gina won't stand by and let the Smilies destroy Blackthorne. They'll be here."

"They better be. And this time, don't tell me something and don't follow through, or else I might have to tell you 'I won't hurt you' and do the same," Cypher said, shutting his cell phone.

So, Gina Themis was back and was going to challenge the plan he had so longed to complete? "I don't think so," Cypher muttered, standing up and slipping the phone in his pocket. He wished he had the power to kill her so long ago, but alas, he didn't and now he was paying for it. He thought of leaving her lie in that underground temple, in a pool of dark red blood, brought a smile to his face, but a pang to his heart that he hadn't felt in a long time.

His hands started to shake a little and his composure was a little off; something that wasn't right for the perfect appearance that Cypher had. He backed his chair away from his desk and stood up, walking to the window behind it. Looking out of it, towards the early evening sky, which was slowly turning an orange color, Cypher said, "Why does she affect me?"

Amaranth watched with glee as the Smilies caused general havoc around the area, harassing civilians, turning over cars, and vandalizing and destroying nearly everything in their way. Even the Smilies seemed to enjoy it, but it was hard to tell with their masks and faceless selves.

"Hurry it up, we should at least draw out these punks by sundown, or Thanatos will kill us all," Amaranth said, waving her hands in a sort of brushing way. She was smiling brightly; watching Thanatos's plans unfold was more than enough to make her happy and bright. However, she felt, or actually heard, a sort of music… it was thundering and proud, but it wasn't in an evil way. It was in a defensive, but good way, and when Amaranth looked around, she saw six teenagers running toward her.

"Looking for us?" Matt said, stopping a few feet from Amaranth. The others stopped behind him and made a sort of arrowhead pattern. Amaranth stared at them all, barely noticing the glass charms now hanging from their necks. She didn't see Natalie's, instead seeing a crystal shard in her hand.

"So, Gina gave you little misfits some of the other crystals? Putting your lives at risk so easily? And she's supposed to be the good guy. Hah. Let us just see how well you can handle those crystals. Smilies, ATTACK!" Amaranth said, pointing to the teens. The Smilies instantly started running towards the teens, one even attempting a jump kick.

Lee held out his arm, catching the jumping Smiley in his flight and knocking him hard into the ground. After this it was a little frantic. Matt yelled "Spread out!", but hardly anyone heard him as they started fighting each other. Lee, Leigh, Natalie, and Eniji took on a good deal of the Smilies, providing Matt and Erika a way to get to Amaranth. They both went in with a kick, trying to catch Amaranth off guard, but she simply dodged them both, proving limber, even in a dress.

"Two on one? Are you sure you don't want three on one? That'd even the odds a little more," Amaranth said with a smirk, going into a rapid spin. She stuck her foot out, hitting Matt, but barely missing Erika, who was moved slightly by Matt's fall. "Are you okay?" Erika said, kneeling down beside him.

"Yeah. She kicks pretty hard for a Goth," Matt replied, pushing himself to his feet. The others were faring much better against the opposition. Lee and Natalie were in a sort of tag team-like position in the middle of a circle of Smilies. Yet again, Natalie seemed to be dancing, constantly moving her hips and swaying to an unseen rhythm.

"Do you ever stop dancing?" Lee asked, beating off two of the Smilies with well timed punches. "Nope," Natalie said, doing a sort of handspring kick against another two, "but maybe the right guy can at least stop me for a second or two." Lee and Natalie both spun around, facing each other with a smile, but then kicking off a Smiley each.

Leigh started to giggle a bit when she heard Natalie's answer, but Eniji said, "Do you think this is the best time for flirting?" They had both succeeded in taking down the Smilies that threatened them, and now were working on getting to Natalie and Lee.

"Who says we were flirting?" Lee and Natalie said together. Leigh simply went into a giggle fit and Eniji smiled a bit.

Matt and Erika, on the other hand, were nowhere near smiling. Their fight with Amaranth wasn't going to well at all, since she proved to be too flexible and fast for their underdeveloped fighting styles. "C'mon, this isn't even a challenge," Amaranth said, now smiling maniacally. She kicked Erika into the ground, and when Matt tried to shift her focus away from Erika, she grabbed him by the neck. She threw Matt and watched him slide across the ground and right into a pack of Smilies. They converged on him like vultures, kicking on him to try and knock him out.

"Matt!" Lee and Erika screamed. They both tried to work towards him, but the horde of Smilies and Amaranth, respectively, wouldn't let them. Matt, on the other hand, was concentrating on not getting hit, but his mind kept sliding towards what Gina had said.

"…you have to feel the music that reflects your heart and soul. You have to hear it, without it actually being played to you."

Matt's mind closed to everything around him, instead focusing to the beat of his heart. There was a rhythm to it, but beyond that… there was a song. It was quiet, but it was there, and the more Matt listened to it, the louder it got. His charm glowed a deep red once more, so bright that it made the Smilies cover their masks with their hands and back away. Matt got to his feet and looked at Lee and Erika, whose charms were doing the same thing, but were glowing a dark green and a bright blue.

Lee quickly turned to Eniji, Leigh, and Natalie and said, "Look inside yourselves and listen to your heart. Just do it!" Leigh and Eniji closed their eyes for a few moments, and their charms glowed a bright pink and a purple color, respectively. Natalie, however, closed her eyes and nothing happened. The Smilies took advantage of this, and kicked her in the stomach, making her shard fall out of her hand and clink uselessly to the ground.

Her focus broken, Natalie quickly grabbed her shard and ran towards Matt, trying to regroup. The others did the same, even Erika, who managed to get away from Amaranth. They all felt a voice in their head, which sounded exactly like Gina's, that said, "Transform now."

Matt, Erika, Lee, Eniji, and Leigh all grabbed their charms, saying "Feel the music…" They then gave the charms a hard tug, breaking the chain that was around their necks. "Evoke the soul!" the teens said, each throwing their charms to the ground. They shattered and a bright light enveloped the area as each went through a unique transformation.

Matt found himself on brightly lit stage, holding a guitar, with no one around. His body glowing with a pulsing light, he jumped off the stage and threw his guitar as a fiery red streak came out of nowhere and wrapped around his body. He could hear someone singing,

"They said all teenagers scare the living s out of me  
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed  
So darken your clothes  
Or strike a violent pose  
Maybe they'll leave you alone  
But not me"

Matt then landed on the ground in a kneeling position, wearing a red suit with a black musical note on his chest. Standing up, the streak wrapped around his head, forming a red helmet with a dark black visor, and as it finished, Matt caught his guitar and struck a pose as a red flash enveloped everything. "Red Alternative Ranger!" he yelled.

Erika found herself in the middle of a sunny desert, holding a violin, with only a broken down bar behind her. Her body glowing with a pulsing light, Erika made flowing motions with her body and her violin as a watery, but bright blue streak wrapped around her body. She could hear someone singing,

"Been burned by the fire  
Been stuck under water  
Strung up on a wire and still the world goes around  
Been tossed like a free throw  
Knocked out when the wind blows  
Pull the curtain on the hurtin'  
'Cause I'm not going down  
(I'm not going down no no)"

As Erika stopped making the motions, she found herself wearing a sky blue suit with a golden musical note on the chest. She then threw her violin away as the streak wrapped around her head, forming a blue helmet with a black visor, and as it finished, Erika struck a pose, her violin lying on the ground, shattered into pieces as a blue flash enveloping everything. "Blue Country Ranger!" she yelled.

Eniji found himself in a dingy factory, holding a base hooked up to a small stage with large speakers. His body glowing with a pulsing light, Eniji played a small solo with his bass as a soulful purple streak wrapped around his body. He could hear someone singing,

"I tried so hard, can't seem to get away from misery,  
Man I tried so hard, but always be a victim of these streets,  
It Ain't my fault cause I, try to get away but trouble follows me,  
And still I try so hard, hopin one day they'll come and rescue me,

But until then, I'll be posted up right here rain, sleet, hail, snow (hail snow)  
But until then, I'll be posted up right here with my heat gettin dough (gettin' dough)"

Eniji then stopped his solo to calmly take off his bass guitar as a purple suit with a golden musical note on the chest materialized around his body. The streak then wrapped around his head, forming a purple helmet with a black visor, and as it finished, Eniji made a struck a pose, his bass standing right next to him as a purple flash enveloping everything. "Purple Soul Ranger!" he yelled.

Lee found himself on another stage, holding his drumsticks, but with no one around him. His body glowing with a pulsing light, Lee twirled his drumsticks quickly, throwing them up in the air as an earthy, but dark, green streak wrapped around his body. He could hear someone singing,

"I try – to digest my pride  
But passions grip I fear  
When I climb – into shallow vats of wine  
I think I almost hear – but it's not clear

You are the one  
You'll never be alone again  
You're more than in my head – you're more"

Lee then jumped up and caught both drumsticks in one hand, now wearing a viridian suit with a black musical note on the chest. Holding the sticks out in one hand, Lee waited as the streak wrapped around his head, forming a viridian helmet with a black visor, and as it finished, Lee struck a pose, dropping his drumsticks on the ground as a viridian flash enveloping everything. "Viridian Indie Ranger!" he yelled.

Leigh found herself in a pink and white bedroom, holding a flask, with a white guitar beside her. She opened the flask, and a heartfelt pink streak came out of it, wrapping itself around her body. She could hear someone singing,

"Soba ni iru tatoe donna ni  
Kanashii yume da toshite mo kamawa nai  
Kimi no namida ni furetai yo... baby  
I pray..."Shinjite"  
Tsumetai kioku no yami kiri saite"

Leigh then found herself wearing a pink suit with a black musical not on the chest. She then raised the flask over her head and let the streak wrap around her head, forming a pink helmet with a black visor, and as it finished, Leigh dropped the flask on her head, knocking her on her butt, but still allowing her to make a peace sign as a pose as a pink flash enveloped everything. "Pink J-Pop Ranger!" she yelled.

"Power Rangers: Soul of Music!" the teens, now Rangers called into the air. "Well, well, well. Power Rangers, eh? No matter. Smilies, ATTACK!" Amaranth said, snapping her fingers. More Smilies appeared, surrounding the Rangers once more.

"You really think that'll work twice?" Matt asked, his smirk hidden under his helmet. "Think again."

The Rangers snapped into action, leaving the unmorphed Natalie off to the side to watch. She was clutching her stomach and wondering why she couldn't hear the music that her friends could so obviously hear. "Don't worry, sweetie. You won't live to see why you can't transform," Amaranth said, looking at the Rangers attacking the Smilies instead of who she was speaking to.

"Go screw yourself," Natalie replied, staring at Amaranth with hate in her eyes. She didn't want the villain to make fun of her inability to hear that music inside. It already hurt her feelings enough; having that feeling of possible heartlessness sucked.

On the other hand, the Rangers felt quite elevated. They were in perfect synch with their music, and by extension, their heart and souls. Their bodies felt empowered as well from this synch, having more flexibility, strength, and speed than ever before. "This is great!" Matt said loudly, his body moving in complex patterns, while his fists darted quickly, in and out.

"What? I was already this fast," Lee said jeeringly, jump kicking one Smiley and gaining enough momentum to kick another one, while still being in midair. "Yeah, right," Matt said, going back to back with his brother. Like in the Black Spin, they attacked any Smiley that got too close for comfort and seemed to be a whirlwind of red and viridian.

The one ranger in particular taking advantage of her flexibility was Erika, who seemed to flow a lot better than normal, bobbing and weaving, and ever flowing. Her expression was one of unseen focus as she slammed her open palms into numerous amounts of Smilies, knocking them down with good deal of force. Her kicks were just as ferocious, most likely more so, being quick flip kicks, or kicks which had the full force of her body swaying with them. She wasn't speaking. She simply didn't have the focus to speak and fight at the same time.

As for Eniji, his fighting style was very rigid and stiff. He was constantly trying to stand in one place, using the Smilies' momentum against them. "Why you hitting yourself?" he muttered, catching a Smiley's punch, then forcing the Smiley's hand back at him, forcing the Smiley to hit itself in the face. However, Eniji broke his stiff movements by going into a barrage of kicks at the next 3 Smilies to challenge him.

Leigh's fighting style wasn't reflecting her bubbly personality at all, instead being quick and somewhat undying as she continuously kicked and punched her way through the Smilies. She even grabbed a few by the head and forced them down to meet her knee, effectively breaking their masks and showing that black, faceless and hairless head that they had. She then snapped them away with a somersault kick. Like Erika, Leigh wasn't speaking, but a few combat yells and grunts escaped her lips.

Within only minutes from Amaranth's talk to Natalie, the Rangers had successfully ravaged through all of the Smilies, leaving them unmoving on the ground. Amaranth didn't say anything, instead staring at the now re-grouping Rangers. Her face showed hints of surprise and irritation because she knew what was going to happen to her when she faced Cypher. After a few moments, she muttered, "One's better than nothing," and started towards Natalie, who started moving backwards in a bit of fear and realization of what Amaranth was about to do.

"No!" Lee shouted, starting in a run towards Amaranth, an effort that was futile due to the distance between them. However, Amaranth let out a shriek of pain and fell to her knees, holding her ears with her hands. The Rangers could see a tiny bit of blood escape her ears and seep down her hands.

"You live for one more day," Amaranth said, getting back up, but still holding her ears. There was a bright crimson flash, radiating from her wrist, and when it died down, she was no where to be found. The Smilies also disappeared, but with a lesser surprise. They just faded into black smoke, which was then blown away by the wind. They left behind their shattered masks, hoods, black pants, and Converse All-Stars.

"Yes!" Leigh exclaimed. "We did it!"

"Yeah, we did. But, why couldn't Natalie?" Lee said, looking at her. She was trembling a bit, but she was okay.

"We can figure that out when we get back to Gina. For now, we need to get out of these suits," Matt said, to general agreement. However, a voice in their heads soon said, "Say 'Power Down' and let the music go back to your hearts." They complied; all of them saying "Power Down!" and reappearing in their street clothes, the glass charms intact on around their necks.

Natalie walked over to them quietly, and said, "Let's get back to Gina's. Our parents will be worried soon and we need to get answers quickly." The others nodded, except for Matt and Lee, who traded glances, and started running, leaving the knocked out officers and the remains of the Smilies behind.

Amaranth appeared before her master, Cypher, looking pained and hurt. She gave him a quick bow and said, "Why didn't you let me take the girl? One is better than none."

"It would have been useless. We need all of them, and taking just one with them knowing where to look would be foolish. Besides, you would have failed anyways," Cypher said calmly. He wasn't facing her, but with the word "failed", Amaranth shrieked in pain again, and her hands went over her ears even tighter.

"I think I overestimated the power of the Smilies. I put too much faith into them…" Cypher said, still turned away from Amaranth. He was still looking out the window, at the sky which was now a pink and orange combination.

"I think it's time for the more… volatile… creatures of the Book," Cypher said, turning to Amaranth. She smiled, though her ears were still bleeding, and said, "I know just the book." She then removed her bloody hands from her ears and licked the blood in a creepily seductive way. She gave a giggle, then left the room, leaving Cypher to turn back to the window and stare at the rapidly dimming sky.

Songs:

Teenagers by My Chemical Romance (Matt's theme)

Not Going Down by Jo Dee Messina (Erika's theme)

I Tried by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony feat. Akon (Eniji's theme)

You Are the One by Shiny Toy Guns (Lee's theme)

Pray by Tommy Heavenly6 (Leigh's theme)


End file.
